We are leaving in 42 days. Yay! For the past few days my father has been saying "Let's stay at a Deluxe for a few days." We have never stayed at a Deluxe before because we always have someone coming with us which requires us to have 2 rooms and then another family comes as well. So in my head I see it as why stay at the Boardwalk for 2 days when we can stay at the WL for the entire week? My family usually turns to me for our trip planning to WDW, but I am actually stumped right now because I have never stayed at a Deluxe. So how am I supposed to sell them on the WL if I don't have anything.

So here are my questions...

-Are all the rooms renovated? I saw pictures of the old rooms and they remind me of Riverside, but the newly renovated rooms are nice looking.

-How do you feel about Roaring Forks? At the end of the day we usually head down to the food court at Pop or Riverside for a snack, but when I look at the menu for Roaring Forks it looks like there is nothing. And from pictures it looks like you basically have to stand and eat.

-We will have a car so transportation isn't an issue for us, but we can always take a short drive over to the TTC and catch a monorail ride so my mother can hear her 'Please stand clear of the doors' spiel, right?

-Is this resort that much better than Riverside?

-Anything else I need to know?

Thanks for your input, and I know some of you are going to want to say "Why don't you try the Boardwalk or.....yadda yadda yadda", but for our budget the WL or AKL are the cheapest so they are the most realistic Deluxe hotels we can stay at. So you can make a fight for AKL if you would like ;)

I have never stayed at Riverside, so I can't compare the two. We have stayed at the WL twice, and love it. There is seating at Roaring Forks, and also seating around the pool area, just outside. There is boat transportation to the MK from the hotel, so I would do that, rather than drive, at least to the MK. It is a very relaxed atmosphere, and feels very quiet. The lobby is just gorgeous, and there are rocking chairs and a little stream. The pool is lovely, and there is a beach area. If you don't find sufficient seating around the pool, there are a few tables behind the bar/locker room, and it is very quiet back there. Both the WL and AKL, are much less expensive than the other Deluxes, and very much worth the upgrade. There are two restaurants on-site, one noisy, and family oriented, the other more gourmet. We bought into the DVC, and, for a trip next year, I plan to request the Villas at the WL, so we can enjoy the hotel amenities again.

You sold me! Brought it up to the parents and got shot down. I'll work on it though. Does anyone know if all the rooms were updated?

We stayed at WL in June of this year and, yes--it appears that all of the rooms have been updated. The headboards are carved with animal/woodland type scenes and there are flat screen tv's in all rooms.

The glory of the WL though, is really that lobby. The huge, carved beams, the fireplace with the layers of stone matching the Grand Canyon, and the mineral spring......

stayed at WL last year and thought it was great,it was huge hotel and very well kept, the rooms we had bunk beds for kids and they loved it ,so they did not have to share a bed, pool was clean and had a little slide .
i thought best part was the 5-10 min ride to mk on boat witch we had to our sells most of the time , mabey just a couple of people with us.
this year we will be at CR for the first time so i will compare them when i get back. but i would recomend the WL to anybody .

Maybe, on your upcoming trip, you can take some time to check out the more affordable Deluxe hotels, with the view determining the possibility of a future stay. If you have not visited either the AKL or the WL, perhaps make plans to eat at one of the restaurants at either hotel. Or just stop by and check it out. If you are at the MK, take the boat over to the WL and walk around, then take the boat back to the MK to grab a bus back to your own resort. Grab a bus to the AKL, and check out the Savannah viewing area near the pool. Do some serious price shopping, for an off-peak time, and it may become more affordable. Check out potential discounts, through AAA, etc.

So here are my questions...

-Are all the rooms renovated? I saw pictures of the old rooms and they remind me of Riverside, but the newly renovated rooms are nice looking.

-How do you feel about Roaring Forks? At the end of the day we usually head down to the food court at Pop or Riverside for a snack, but when I look at the menu for Roaring Forks it looks like there is nothing. And from pictures it looks like you basically have to stand and eat.

-We will have a car so transportation isn't an issue for us, but we can always take a short drive over to the TTC and catch a monorail ride so my mother can hear her 'Please stand clear of the doors' spiel, right?

-Is this resort that much better than Riverside?

-Anything else I need to know?

;)

Hi Kristin!

Well, we loved the WL! The rooms are the same as at AKL (size wise) and I thought they were clean and looked new, etc. If I was to choose between WL and AKL.......it's AKL all the way! Going out on the balcony is just so breath taking to see the Animals everyday!

I thought the Mara was better than Roaring Forks. Just a preference really.
There are places to sit outside and in at the Roaring Forks. Same also goes with The Mara...but we always sat by the pool area and had our meals.

As far as the Riverside........wow! What a hotel! It is sprawling.....so is AKL, but amazing for it's money. The rooms are a bit smaller with double beds instead of queens, but the rooms are layed out nicely and I like the separate area of the bathrooms and sinks with the curtain.

There are no balconies at Riverside and I think we are balcony people.....love to sit out in the mornings and evenings. We really vote on AKL and the bunk beds for our kids.

Riverside is however a pretty amazing place! :fez:

We just love the Villas of Wilderness Lodge - we are Disney Vacation Clubbers and love staying at our home resort. Anyone can book a stay at the Villas - they are now called Disney Deluxe Villas for non-vacation-club people - they are just great and the location is wonderful. Close to Magic Kingdom resorts (a quick boat ride away) and another quick boat ride to the Magic Kingdom. The bus stop is quite close and they take you all over Disney World. The staff are just wonderful like any other place at Disney World. Give it a try - it's just great.:cool:

Thanks everyone! So far it's a no, but I'm still working on it. If it doesn't happen then I like the idea of visiting it so that way for an upcoming trip we might be able to stay there. We visited the WL a few times, but never really explored. I'm still trying though!